More Waive Redden Rumors

This past June, Bruce Garrioch wrote that the Rangers were considering waiving Wade Redden. I wrote a quick post on it, but nothing ever came from it. We still have to deal with $6.5 million to play for 14 minutes a game. It is what is.

In his January 10 article, Garrioch (Malkin to the Kings!) mentions that the Rangers are intensifying their talks of waiving the troubled defenseman:

There has been talk the Rangers are going to place D Wade Redden on waivers and then send him to the their AHL affiliate in Hartford. There is nothing to stop the Rangers from doing that because Redden has a limited no-trade clause, but he doesn’t have a restrictive no-movement clause. Signed to a six-year, $39-million deal on July 1, 2007, the Rangers have tried to deal Redden, but haven’t been able to find any takers. Even if New York GM Glen Sather did want to deal Redden, he’d have to get a list from the defenceman of eight teams where he doesn’t want to go.

Garrioch is correct in all his details. Redden has a limited no-trade clause, not a no-movement clause. A NTC does not protect Redden from being waived. Should the Rangers waive Redden and call up Ilkka Heikkinen, then they would be adding approximately $3 million in prorated cap room until the end of the season, not to mention the $6.5 million saved for the upcoming years. I am still unsure what the ramifications are of buying out a player signed to a one-way deal playing in the AHL. I am assuming it is the same as a regular NHL buyout (if someone has any insight to this, please clarify). But, if the Rangers can buy out Redden with no cap penalty if he is in the AHL, then that would be the next logical move.

Yes, Garrioch reports on everything. Keep in mind that talks like these, including any trade rumors, always happen. GMs talk to each other. They check in on each other and available players. If 5% of anything talked about between GMs becomes finalized, then I’ll run naked through MSG (calm down ladies). However, the fact that this is now being reported twice, in two different seasons (off-season, regular season) adds a little bit of value to me. If the Rangers are seriously considering waiving Redden, then now would be the time to do it. Every day he sits on the roster, he is eating up precious cap space for the deadline.

Send the bum down. If he clears waivers he doesn’t count toward the cap for the rest of the season. Then we can pawn him off to some khl team. He then won’t count toward the cap and he will get paid by some other team